Anxiolytic activity and active principles of Piper amalago (Piperaceae), a medicinal plant used by the Q'eqchi' Maya to treat susto, a culture-bound illness.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The medicinal plant, Piper amalago L. (Piperaceae), is used traditionally by Q'eqchi' Maya healers for the treatment of "susto" a culture-bound syndrome. Previous research suggests that susto symptoms may be a manifestation of anxiety. The objectives were to characterize the effect of ethanolic extract of P. amalago in behavioral assays of anxiety at doses representative of traditional use and to isolate active principles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats treated orally with low dose ethanolic extracts of P. amalago leaves (8-75mg/kg) were tested in several behavioral paradigms including the elevated plus maze (EPM), social interaction (SI), and conditioned emotional response (CER) tests, and compared to diazepam, a positive control. The active anxiolytic principle was isolated by bioassay guided isolation using an in vitro GABAA competitive binding assay. RESULTS: Extracts had significant anxiolytic activity in all behavioral tests, with the strongest activity in the SI and the CER paradigms. In an in vitro GABAA competitive binding assay, a 66.5µg/mL concentration of P. amalago ethanol extract displaced 50% of the GABAA-BZD receptor ligand [(3)H]-Flunitrazepam. Bioassay-guided fractionation identified a furofuran lignan, a molecule with structural similarity to yangambin, with high affinity for the GABAA-BZD receptor as the principle bioactive. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the ethnobotanical use of this plant may have a pharmacological basis in its anxiolytic activity, as demonstrated in animal behaviour tests.

Dillapiol: a pyrethrum synergist for control of the Colorado potato beetle.

Dillapiol, the main constituent in dill Anethum sowa Roxb. ex Fleming (Apiaceae) oil and wild pepper, Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae), is an effective cytochrome P450 inhibitor similar to piperonylbutoxide (PBO). Laboratory and field trials with pyrethrum Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium (Trevir.) vis. extracts combined with dillapiol (1:5 and 1:16 ratio) were effective against both insecticide-susceptible and -resistant Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say). In the laboratory, pyrethrum efficacy was increased 2.2-fold with the SS strain and 9.1-fold with the RS strains by using pyrethrum + dillapiol. Two field trials with the pyrethrum + dillapiol formulation demonstrated efficacy > or = 10 times than that of pyrethrum alone. The residual activity (half-life) of the combination exposed to direct sunlight was 3 h but it increased to 10.7 h by adding 2% of the sunscreen octylmethoxycinnamate.

Analysis of Fusarium graminearum mycotoxins in different biological matrices by LC/MS.

The purpose of this study was to develop an LC/MS assay to accurately detect three mycotoxins produced by Fusarium graminearum in various matrices. Using different LC conditions, deoxynivalenol (DON), 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON), and zearalenone (ZEN) were detected in four different matrices (fungal liquid cultures, maize grain, insect larvae and pig serum). The sensitivity of MS detection allowed us to detect concentrations as low as 8 ppb of DON and 12 ppb of ZEN. A very small quantity of matrix was therefore necessary for successful analysis of these toxins and a variety of experimental situations were successfully investigated using this technique. Production of 15-ADON and butenolide was monitored in a liquid culture of F. graminearum under controlled conditions. Using simple extraction procedures, the differential accumulation of DON and 15-ADON was followed in inoculated maize genotypes varying in susceptibility to F. graminearum. Toxicokinetic studies were carried out with maize insect pests reared continually on artificial diets containing ZEN and suggested that larvae may possess the ability to degrade ZEN. Finally, persistence of DON was assessed in pigs fed diet supplemented with DON, results indicated that DON accumulates quickly in pig blood and then levels decline progressively for 12 hours thereafter. The LC/MS study reported here is very useful and flexible for the detection of these mycotoxins in different media and at very low concentrations.

Bioassay-guided isolation and identification of antifungal compounds from ginger.

A bioassay-guided isolation of antifungal compounds from an African land race of ginger, Zingiber officinale Roscoe, led to the identification of [6], [8] and [10]-gingerols and [6]-gingerdiol as the main antifungal principles. The compounds were active against 13 human pathogens at concentrations of <1 mg/mL. The gingerol content of the African land race was at least 3 x higher than that of typical commercial cultivars of ginger. Therefore, ginger extracts standardized on the basis of the identified compounds, could be considered as antifungal agents for practical therapy.

Traditionally-used antimalarials from the Meliaceae.

A quantitative ethnobotanical approach to antimalarial drug discovery led to the identification of Lansium domesticum Corr. Ser. (Meliaceae) as an important antimalarial used by Kenyah Dyak healers in Indonesian Borneo. Triterpenoid lansiolides with antimalarial activity were isolated from the bark and shown to have activity in both in vitro bioassays with Plasmodium falciparum, and in mice infected with P. berghei. A survey of African and tropical American Meliaceae led to further development of the limonoid gedunin from the traditionally used medicinal plants, tropical cedar, Cedrela odorata L., and neem, Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Gedunin has significant in vitro activity but initially showed poor in vivo activity. In vivo activity was improved by (1) incorporation into an easy to absorb suspension, (2) preparation of a more stable compound, 7-methoxygedunin; and (3) synergism with dillapiol, a cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitor. The results show the potential for both antimalarial drug and phytomedicine development from traditionally used plants.

Antimalarial activity of tropical Meliaceae extracts and gedunin derivatives.

Extracts of 22 species of Meliaceae were examined for antimalarial activity using in vitro tests with two clones of Plasmodium falciparum, one sensitive to chloroquine (W2) and one chloroquine-resistant (D6). Twelve extracts were found to have activity, including extracts of Cedrela odorata wood and Azadirachta indica leaves, which contained the limonoid gedunin. These extracts were more effective against the W2 clone than the D6 clone, suggesting there is no cross-resistance to chloroquine. Gedunin was extracted in quantity, and nine derivatives prepared for a structure-activity study, which revealed essential functionalities for activity. The study also included four other limonoids derived from related Meliaceae. Only gedunin had better activity than chloroquine against the W2 clone. This active principle could be used to standardize a popular crude drug based on traditional use of A. indica in West Africa.

Methyl 4-hydroxy-3-(3'-methyl-2'-butenyl)benzoate, major insecticidal principle from Piper guanacastensis.

The CHCl3-soluble extract of Piper guanacastensis (Piperaceae) was found to have noteworthy insecticidal activity to Aedes atropalpus mosquito larvae (LC50 80.5 micrograms/mL). Bioassay-guided fractionation afforded methyl 4-hydroxy-3-(3'-methyl-2'-butenyl)benzoate (1) as the major bioactive constituent (LC50 20.5 micrograms/mL). The separation of compound 1 from its transesterification artifact (2), ethyl 4-hydroxy-3-(3'-methyl-2'-butenyl)benzoate, was achieved by recycling reversed-phase HPLC. The flavonoids acacetin, chrysin, and pinostrobin were also isolated from the active fraction but did not display insecticidal properties.

Study of photoinduced energy and electron transfer in alpha-terthienyl-bovine serum albumin conjugates: a laser flash photolysis study.

The photochemistry of alpha-terthienyl (alpha-T) has been examined in bovine serum albumin (BSA). Freely associated and covalently conjugated alpha-T chromophores show similar behavior toward nonpolar quenchers such as oxygen and benzoquinone but show significant differences in the case of quenching by methyl viologen, a watersoluble cationic electron acceptor; in this case, triplet quenching reveals two distinct alpha-T populations, attributed to chromophores in sites showing very different accessibility from the aqueous phase. Rate constants for triplet quenching in BSA are generally slower than those observed in homogeneous solution for free alpha-T. For example, in the case of oxygen, the rate constant is about one order of magnitude smaller when alpha-T is associated or conjugated with the protein compared with alpha-T in solution. While triplet yields for alpha-T are essentially the same in solution and in the protein environment, the yield of detectable singlet oxygen is substantially reduced in the protein. This is attributed to a geminate reaction within the protein involving singlet oxygen trapping in the vicinity of the generation site.

Insecticidal neolignans from Piper decurrens.

2,3-Dihydro-2-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-5(E)-propenylbenzofuran (conocarpan) (1), 2-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-3-methyl-5(E)- propenylbenzofuran (eupomatenoid-5) (2), and 2-(4'- hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-5(E)-propenylbenzofuran (eupomatenoid-6) (3), three known neolignans found for the first time in a species of the Piperaceae, were isolated from Piper decurrens via insecticidal bioassay-guided fractionation, along with a small quantity of a new related compound, 2,3-dihydro-5-formyl-2-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methylbenzofuran (decurrenal) (4), and 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-2(E)-hexadecen-1-ol (trans-phytol).

Pharmacokinetics, metabolism and toxicity of the plant-derived photoxin alpha-terthienyl.

The plant-derived insecticide, alpha-terthienyl was prepared by synthesis as 3',4'-di[14C]-alpha-terthienyl for pharmacokinetic and metabolism studies. When administered orally to rats at a single dose of 50 mg/kg, excretion of the labelled material was maximal one day after administration and declined to no measurable quantities by day 4. Two metabolites [1,4-di(2'-thienyl)1,4-butadione and 2-2'-bithiophene-5-carboxylic acid] and trace quantities of the parent material were isolated from the urine and chemically identified. These represent the first metabolites of alpha-terthienyl identified. In pilot acute and subacute trials, unlabelled alpha-terthienyl was non-toxic when administered orally to rats as the "ready to use" formulation (0.1% active ingredient). The pure compound had an LD50 of 110 mg/kg when administered intraperitoneally to rats. The results suggest that there is considerable separation with respect to mosquito larvae and non-target mammal sensitivity.

Insecticidal defenses of Piperaceae from the neotropics.

Insecticidal and growth-reducing properties of extracts of 14 species of American neotropical Piperaceae were investigated by inclusion in diets of a polyphagous lepidopteran, the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis. Nutritional indices suggested most extracts acted by postdigestive toxicity.Piper aduncum, P. tuberculatum, andP. decurrens were among the most active species and were subjected to bioassay-guided isolation of the active components. Dillapiol was isolated from the active fraction ofP. aduncum, piperlonguminine was isolated fromP. tuberculatum, and a novel neolignan fromP. decurrens. The results support other studies on Asian and AfricanPiper species, which suggest that lignans and isobutyl amides are the active defence compounds in this family.

Limited nonenzymatic glucosylation of low-density lipoprotein does not alter its catabolism in tissue culture.

This study examines the effects of various degrees of chemical modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) on its catabolism by various cell types. Moderate glucosylation of LDL does not alter its interaction with the high-affinity receptor present on human fibroblasts at concentration of 5-2000 micrograms LDL-cholesterol/ml. Only heavily glucosylated LDL (more than 12 lysine residues glucosylated per apolipoprotein B) or LDL glucosylated in the presence of Na(CN)BH3, i.e., conditions not expected to occur in diabetes, inhibit receptor-mediated internalisation and degradation. Moderately glucosylated LDL is also readily recognized by cultured rat hepatocytes and porcine endothelial cells. Human monocyte-derived macrophages accumulate cholesteryl ester when incubated with acetylated LDL for 12 days but no enhanced cholesteryl ester formation was found when native or glucosylated LDL (3.3 lysines glucosylated per apolipoprotein B) were used.

Epileptic phenomena induced in the cat by the antidepressants maprotiline, imipramine, clomipramine, and amitriptyline.

The epileptogenic properties of four tricyclic antidepressant drugs: maprotiline, imipramine, clomipramine, amitriptyline, were investigated in locally anesthetized cats immobilized with gallamine and supplied with neocortical, hippocampal, and reticular recording electrodes. The drugs were infused intravenously at a constant rate (0.5 or, in some cases, 0.25 mg/kg per min) up to a final dose of 45 mg/kg. Already in small doses (1 to 5 mg/kg) all four antidepressants produced local signs of epileptiform pathology. Generalized sustained discharges occurred, on the average, at between 20 and 25 mg/kg with all four drugs. Imipramine and amitriptyline, after the first or first few generalized discharges, led to a pattern of repeated short generalized seizures alternating with silent periods. Maprotiline invariably produced this later alternating pattern only after a 10- to 30-min period of a seminormal high amplitude pattern. Clomipramine assumed a position between maprotiline on the one hand and imipramine and amitriptyline on the other. Starting at doses of 2-4 mg/kg, imipramine, clomipramine and amitriptyline, all three being norepinephrine and serotonin uptake inhibitors, induced a high amplitude "sleep" pattern. Maprotiline, a norepinephrine uptake inhibitor, which is thought devoid of serotonin-uptake inhibiting properties, led to high amplitude slow waves only with doses of at least 12.5 to 15 mg/kg.